Phonograph record holder



if i 2 2 INVENTOR.

Clifys' F. C- MINARDI PHONOGRAPH RECORD HOLDER July 24, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 13, 1948 Jar/2&6? Mina/a! J y 1951 F. c. MINARDI 2,562,112

PHONOGRAPH RECORD HOLDER Filed Nov. 13, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR.

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Patented July 24, 1951 This invention relates to improvements phonograph record holders. One object of the invention is to provide a holder for phonograph records of disk form that enables'a relatively large number of records to remain readily available for convenient use, as I contrasted with holders in the form of conventional record albums which require, generally, the removal of the albums from cabinets or shelves in making a selection of records to be played'and requiring, also, the replacement of means for releasably attaching the envelopes to a-su-pport that distributes the load oneach envelope to the entire length of the attached edge thereof for increasing the period of usefulness of-the envelopesand for retaining them in uniiormly spaced relation at the opposite edges for convenience in leafing the envelopes while mak- -ing a'selection of records to be played.

Additional objects of the invention relate to various features of construction and arrangement of parts which would be apparent from -a consideration of the following. specification and. accompanying drawings disclosed in structures which are illustrative of the present in- .In-thedrawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of .a .cabinet :having embodied therein a record holder constructed in accordance with the present invention.

rnoivoqnar lifs zinni I Frank C. Minardi, chicagop ill 'assignor; on eel I half to A t E e fihic orlll.,

Application November EJ21 28 eriall i o. 5 9,885

5 Claims. (01.312 in f 1.1.:

Fig. ;6 is"a perspective view ofa different type cabinet having the improved record holder embodied=thereino 1 r Fig. 'l isabrokensectional view taken on'line -=11 of Fig. 6but showingtheclosure member in closed position. 1

' Fig. 8 is a broken top'plan view of the cabinet shown in Fig- 6 illustrating the record holder in -outerposition;

a In Fig. 1 of the drawings, a cabinet I!) is shown for the purpose of illustrating merely a type of cabinet with whichothe present improvements may be. employed. .The particular cabinet shown isinwardly offsetadjacent an upper compartment, the base of which is indicated at H aridlhaving a frontlclosure. member l2 which constitutes a=.portion of the improved record holder. As suggested, .the cabinet may be of any suitable form, Fig.4 showing a second compartment for .holding record albums, books, or the like, beneath the shelf-or base II, the second compartment being. indicated by numeral 13, but

forming no part,- of the present improvements.

The closure member 12, as shownin Fig. 2, xcarriesnatpivot member in the form of a rod 514, whichprojectsaboveand below the upper and lower longitudinal. edges of the member 12. JIhepivot. 'memberil l may be secured to the closure. member l2 by any improved means, but the structure illustrated it, is seated in a groove-or bore-provided partially in the inner iaceof'the member [2 and :partially in the contacting f'ace of acooperating strip I5. .Attachedinwardly.of .the closure member I2 isoa.vplurality .0f. .open. top envelopes [6 each iiadapted for.- .receiying, a disk phonograph record. .Asshown .inFig. 3,-the envelopes are provided with circular openings Ilwhich reveal the con- -ventionalcenter-label; attached to, phonographrecordsaand generallybearing the title of the recordedselection;.andds provided at the up- :.p.er,=.edgewith a cut-out I8 which provides ready Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a detached vrec- Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1 showing the holder with some of the .envelopes removed therefrom.

' Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5-5 50f Fight. l I

access :to;.a portionn' of the record in removing the same] from the envelope. Each envelope .likewise is. provided with spaced -perforations I 9 atzthe bound edge thereof. The perforations 19 provide means for. stringing the envelopes upon 'a.;pair.:o'f U". shaped clamp members. indicated sgenerallyiby-rnumerals 20;. The ends of the arms .of .theLU :shaped clamp members 2?! are threaded :and are adapted to extend through. openings provided inthe closure member l2 and the reinforcingstrip 15 which may. bev iglued or otherwise.- latta'ched to. the; member [.2. :Each ,arm of the members 20 is provided with nuts 2| which as .s gw th nge e esskProv ded the nne position for supporting the U shaped members in horizontal positions extending inwardly of the closure member. Over the outer ends of the arms there is provided preferably an ornamental nut or finial 25.

Before assembling the U shaped clamps on the closure member, the record envelopes I6 are strung on the clamp members with spacers 26 disposed on each side of the several envelopes. The spacers may be of cardboard, fiber or other like material in strip form, suitably perforated at distances corresponding to the vertical spacing between the clamp members 20. The spacers 26 are approximately of the thickness of a phonograph record or the combined thickness of a phonograph record and the envelope 26 in which it is contained. The envelopes and spacers are packed tightly together on thecurved portion of the clamps, after which the nuts 2| are adjusted in proper positions on the arms of the clamps, and the clamps, with the envelopes and spacers thereon, are mounted on the closure member [2. The tight placing together of the mounted edges of the envelopes provides, in effect, a continuous binding extending vertically along the stationary edges of the envelopes, and thus, relieve the perforated portions of the envelopes from the strain that would be imposed only on said perforated portions by the weight of the contained records. The durability of the envelopes is thus greatly increased. Likewise, the spacers between the envelopes space the envelopes apart sufficiently to avoid the pinching of the records within the envelopes, since the adjacent peripheral portion of a record in an envelope, as viewed in Fig. 3, is located outwardly of the respective spacers leaving a space between the bound edge and the adjacent portion of a record that constitutes a hinge. Hence, the records can be removed freely from their respective envelopes notwithstanding the fact that the inner edges of the envelopes are bound firmly together upon the clamps 20. If desired, a staple 21, or like element, can be provided in each envelope, as shown in Fig. 3, for preventing the records from being displaced inwardly sufficiently from a normal position concentric with the openings IT as to be broken or bent when the envelopes are flexed in leafing through a group of supported envelopes in making record selections.

As shown in Fig. 4, the pivotal member l4 preferably is provided with a bushing 28 adjacent its lower end which seats on the surface of the compartment base I l, and which is secured to the pivot member by a set screw 29. A washer 30 may be used on the upper surface of the bushing, if desired. The bushing spaces the lower edge of the closure member I2 from the member II as shown in Fig. 4. The lower end of the pivotal rod I4 is provided with a threaded recess 3| for receiving an attaching screw 32. The upper end of the pivot member l4 may seat within a recess 33 provided in the top wall of the cabinet. The pivot rod 14 thus is held stationary by the screw 32, the closure member pivoting relatively on the rod. Other suitable pivoting arrangements for the closure member may be provided if desired.

In the use of the structure shown in Fig. 1,

'4 it is only necessary to press on the closure member at one side of its pivotal axis to swing the group of record holding envelopes to the outer position, such as is indicated in Fig. 8, thereby rendering accessible all the records carried by the holder.

A holder of the type described may, as a practical matter, accommodate easily a hundred envelopes and thus, a hundred records. Inasmuch as such a group of records has considerable weight, the cabinet l0 preferably is provided with the offset above referred to for the purpose of avoiding unbalancing the cabinet and possibly causing it to tip when the records are swung to the outer position. However, the use of a cabinet having such offset is not essential since a cabinet of the type shown in Figs. 6 and 7 may be employed in conjunction with the record holder if desired.

In the type of cabinet shown in Fig. 6, the record holder does not carry a closure member for the opening of the record holder compartment. In the holder shown in Figs. 6, 7, and 8 a pair of members, which may be of wood, and indicated by numerals 35 and 36, are provided therebetween with a pivotal member 31 corresponding to the member l4 above described. The ends of the member 31 may be mounted in the base 38 and top 39 of a record holding compartment of the cabinet similarly to the mounting of pivot member 14. Members 35 and 36 carry a pair of clamp members 40 of U shape and corresponding to the clamps 20 shown in Figs. 4. The cabinet illustrated is provided with a drop-leaf or closure member 4|, the outer edge of which is provided with an angular panel 42 which, when closed as shown in Fig. 7, extends angularly into contact with the forward edge of the top 39. When the closure ll has been lowered to the position shown in Fig. 6, the pivotal record carrier can be turned to move all the record holding envelopes 43 to a position of access as shown in Fig. 8. The particular cabinet construction described enables the pivot 31 to be located a substantial distance inwardly from the front face of the cabinet to avoid over-balancing of the latter when the records are swung to the accessible position shown in Fig. 8.

In the bottom panels or lower portions II and 3B of the record holding compartments of Figs. 1 and 6, respectively, there may be provided a recess for holding a fluorescent tube 43, or other lighting element, provided with a reflector 44 beneath the same, and a transparent panel 45 flush with the upper surface of the respective members H and 38. When the respective record holder is swung to the outer position and the respective lamps are illuminated, light passes upwardly between the envelopes for facilitating the reading of the titles of the records contained in the envelopes.

When the holder is in an outer position, the envelopes can be flexed or swung to one side or the other in leafing through the group of envelopes in making the desired selections, the envelopes being preferably of paper and the portions between the vertical bound edges and the staples 2'1 constituting the hinge portions. When the records have been restored to their respective envelopes, the holder can be rotated upon its axis to return the records into the holding compartment of the cabinet. The improvements thus make accessible for convenient use a large group of records without the necessity for handling them individually or in smaller groups such as is necessary where records are stored in albums, for example.

While I have shown and described structures which are illustrative of the invention, I do not wish to be restricted specifically to the detail of the structures shown since variations thereof may be made within the scope and spirit of the invention defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A holder for disc type phonograph records comprising a plurality of open top record receiving envelopes each provided with bolt receiving apertures adjacent one end thereof, a vertical support, bolts carried by the support and provided with horizontally disposed arcuate portions passing through the apertures for disposing the envelopes in vertical relation, spacer members disposed on the bolts between adjacent records corresponding in thickness substantially to the thickness of the records, and nuts on the bolts for drawing the u shaped portions thereof toward the support for clamping firmly together on said U shaped portions the supported ends of the envelopes and the intermediate spacers to provide a binding that engages opposed surfaces of the supported envelopes in areas coextensive with the contacting areas of the spacers.

2. A holder for disc type phonograph records comprising a plurality of open top record receiving envelopes each provided with bolt receiving apertures. adjacent one end thereof, a vertical support, bolts carried by the support and provided with horizontally disposed arcuate portions passing through the apertures of the envelopes for disposing the envelopes in vertical relation, spacers on the arcuate portions of the bolts disposed between adjacent envelopes, and means for drawing said arcuate portions toward the support for clamping firmly together on said arcuate portions the supported ends of the envelopes and said spacers to provide a binding that engages the opposed surfaces of the envelopes in areas coextensive with the contacting areas of the spacers, said spacers being of a thickness corresponding substantially to that of the records for insuring expansion space between adjacent envelopes along the portions thereof contiguous to the respective spacers.

3. A holder for disc type phonograph records comprising a cabinet providing a record storage space havin an opening in the front and a communicating openin in the adjacent portion of the top thereof, a closure for the front opening hinged along the lower edge thereof to the cabinet for movement from an upright closed position to a lower position and provided with an extension along the upper edge thereof that closes said top openin when the closing member is in closed position, an envelope supporting member extendin vertically of said storage space in a ,plane disposed rearwardly of said top opening to the rear of said supporting member in posi-* tions arranged substantially radially of said axis and adapted to be moved pivotally as a unit with said support from a storage position within the space when the closure member is open to outer position from which unobstructed vertical removal of the records from the envelopes is accommodated by the upper extension of said open- 4. A holder for disc type phonograph records comprising a cabinet storage space having an opening in a vertical wall of the cabinet, a vertical supporting member in said opening, upper and lower U shaped rods each provided with a semi-circular intermediate portion and parallel threaded end portions carried by said supporting member in horizontal planes with the semi-circular portions vertically aligned at one side of the supporting member and with the threaded ends extending through the supportin member, a plurality of record receiving envelopes each having rod receiving perforations adjacent one end, vertically arranged spacers each having rod receiving perforations, said envelopes and spacers being strung on said semi-circular portions of the rod in alternating relation, nuts on said threaded ends of the rods for drawing the semi-circular portions thereof toward the adjacent face of the supportin member for compacting the envelopes and spacers one against the other to provide a rigid binding for the perforated ends of the envelopes coextensive with the contacting spacers, and means pivotally supporting said supporting member in said opening to enable the same to be swung to position for moving the envelopes into and from said storage space.

5. In a holder for disc type phonograph records, a vertical support, a plurality of open top record receiving envelopes each provided with rod receiving perforations at one end, rods having semi-circular portions extending through the perforations of the envelopes for disposing the envelopes in vertical radial planes, apertured spacers on the semi-circular portions of the rods between adjacent envelopes for spacing the envelopes apart at the attached ends thereof to provide expansion spaces at each side of each envelope at portions thereof immediately contiguous to said spacers, and nuts on the rods cooperating with the support for drawing the semi-circular portions thereof toward the support for eflecting the compacting of the attached ends of the envelopes and spacers firmly together and against the support to provide a frictional binding for the envelopes at said attached ends thereof.

FRANK C. MINARDI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 628,943 Kasik July 18, 1899 765,494 Krom July 19, 1904 934,888 Dahlberg Sept. 21, 1909 1,495,152 Becker May 2'7, 1924 1,785,938 Sutcliffe Dec. 23, 1930 2,099,472 Emery Nov. 16, 1937 

